an ancient city of England, capital of Cheshire; also a county in itself, and market-town. It is beautifully situated on the Dee, 164 miles N.W. from London. It consists of four main streets, and a great number of smaller ones. The whole of the town is surrounded by a wall 7 or 8 feet in thickness; on the summit of which is a walk with parapets on either side, much used as a promenade by the citizens, and which commands fine views of the surrounding country. The wall is very ancient, and is supposed to be of Roman origin. Chester was the Deva of the Romans, and was the permanent station of the twentieth legion. It occupied a very important position in the time of the lords marchers, and was their chief stronghold in the north. In two of the principal streets a very curious arrangement of the houses prevails, by which what are called the "rows" are formed, affording a promenade secure against the uncertainties of the weather. Fronting the pavement there is a row of inferior shops; on the top of these again there is a broad paved walk, with a row of shops on the inner side, about 16 feet from the front of the lower row; the houses forming the second floor from the ground are then carried over the paved walk, and supported on pillars placed on the front of the lower row; and within this covered gallery are to be found the principal shops of the town. Numerous antiquities are from time to time brought to light, attesting the ancient origin of the place. A great many of the houses are built of timber, and some of them are most quaintly and elaborately carved. There is a very large training college for teachers, which is fast rising into repute. The cathedral is an old Gothic building containing some fine old carved oak; and some interesting monuments. The principal public buildings, besides those named, are the castle, the county-hall, the exchange, the linen, union, and commercial halls, the county jail, and the railway station; which latter is one of the largest and finest in the kingdom, and accommodates the traffic of six important railways. There are also public markets, an infirmary, and a house of industry. Chester has nine parish churches and two chapels of ease, besides numerous chapels belonging to the different dissenting bodies. There is a very fine race-course called the Roodee, just outside the town wall. The Chester race meeting has long ranked among the most important in the kingdom. There are very large works for the manufacture of white-lead, sheet-lead and pipes, and patent shot, giving employment to many hundred workpeople. Shipbuilding is also carried on to a considerable extent. Owing to the silting up of the mouth of the Dee, the shipping trade is not so brisk as it was at one time. Eaton-hall, the magnificent seat of the Marquis of Westminster, is close to the town.

The corporation consists of a mayor, ten aldermen, and thirty councillors. The borough has returned two members to parliament since 1543. Constituency in 1851, 2524. The Marquis of Westminster has the principal political influence. The assessed taxes yield annually L1,259; and the annual value of real property paying income tax is L24,941. The population of the city in 1851 was 27,776, of whom 13,324 were males, and 14,442 females. There were 5173 inhabited houses, 196 uninhabited, and 35 building. There are weekly markets on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and several very large horse, cattle, and cheese fairs, during the year.